Wire-fence nail



(No Model.) I F. W. BATES.

WIRE FENCE NAIL. No. 230,118. Patented June 26, 18.83.:

UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

FRED W BATES, OF ADEL, IOVA.

WIRE-FENCHE NAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,118, dated June 26, 1883. Application filed June 19,1882. (No niodeh) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED W. Barns, of Adel, in the county of Dallas and State of Iowa, have invented an Improved Fence Nail and Staple, of which the following'is a specification.

My invention consists in forming a hook or short staple-leg. integral with a nail having a head in such a manner that the complete device is adapted to be driven into a post to clamp a fence-wire fast, and also adapted to be readily pulled out, whenever desired, by means of a common claw on a hammer.

' Heretofore a fence-nail has been stamped from plate metal complete in one piece in such a form as to present a short hook or staple-leg from its tapering end in such a manner as to adapt it to be driven into a post to. -clamp fast a fence-wire, but not adapted to be drawn out again, when desired, without damaging the wire, as contemplated by my invention...

Figure 1 of my accompanying drawings is a side view of my nail and staple. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing wires fastened toa post by means of my nail and staple. Together they clearly illustrate the construction, application, and operation of my complete inven tion.

a is the straight body of a metal nail, having a head, I), of common form, and a tapering lower end, 0. d is a hook or short staple-leg, projecting laterally from a point of the body a at or near the head I). It is curved downward, pointed, and adapted to enter the wood as the body a is driven into a post. The hook (I is formed integral with the straight body a and head I) of the nail by means of dies, or in any suitable way. The complete device may vary in size and weight as desired.

In the practical use of my inventionl simply'drive the pointed end of the nail into a post far enough to make it stick, and then place a fence-wire on top of it and within and under the hook c, as shown at the top portion of Fig. 2, and then drive the body a of the nail and the end of the hook jointly into the wood, as shown in the lower portion of Fig. 2, by simply striking upon the head Z) with a hammer.

- To free the wire again whenever desired, I simply engage the projecting head b of the nail with the claw of a hammer or any other suitable nail-pulling device, and operate the el aw, as required, to withdraw the nail and its hook or staple-leg from the wood.

I am aware that a railroadspike having a cross-head extending in one direction to overlap the flange of a rail, and extended in an opposite direction to overlap a wooden cross-tie, has had a short stud projecting from the flat and extended surface of the under side of one section of the cross-head, and ledges at the sides of the top edges of the cross-head, in such a manner that the shank of the spike and also the stud could be driven into the wood, and the flat extended under side of the head more firmly fixed upon the flat surface of the tie by means of the stud, and the complete spike more readily loosened andremoved by means of the ledges at the sides of its cross-head; but such a spike is not adapted to be used for the purpose contemplated by my invention, in which a staple having one long leg and one short leg has a nail-head formed integral therewith.

I claim as my invention- An improved fence-nail and staple having a straight body, a head, and a hook or short staple-leg extending outward and downward from the top portion of the straight body, sub-' stantially as shown and described, for the purposes set forth.

FRED V. BATES. 

